Developing children’s cognitive and communication strategies through learning

Participant’s worksheet 1

Matching exercise Find someone whose definition or strategy corresponds to

yours
Asking for clarification or help
I don’t understand, can you tell me what ‘ranking’ means?
Predicting What other activities do you think we will do in today’s
session?
Describing a personal It was a good day for me - I felt confident and passed the
experience test.
Classifying Put the animals into two groups -‘vertebrate’ and
‘invertebrate’.
Saying what you are going to You are going to read different people your piece of paper
do until you find the matching word or definition.
Ranking Can anyone put the cognitive strategies in order of difficulty?
Giving instructions First of all, talk to people in the group, next find your partner
and then sit down.
Remembering Look at the list of strategies for 1 minute and then see how
many you can say without looking.
Telling a story or saying what First, we discussed strategies, then we did a mingling
happened exercise and finally we tried a test task.
Repeating Say each new word from the list in a different way, for
example slowly, quickly or very quietly.
Asking for permission I’ve finished, can I borrow some practice tests,
Developing children’s cognitive and communication strategies through language
learning – Participant’s worksheet 2

For questions 1–7, match the trainer’s instructions with the cognitive or communication
strategies they are practising, listed A – E.
Mark the correct letter (A – E) on your answer sheet.
You will need to use some of the options more than once.

Strategies

A. Scanning
B. Risk Taking
C. Inferring
D. Describing routines and states
E. Expressing a reason
F.

Trainer’s instructions
1. Look at the 8 pieces of information about ………. around the room. Here’s a list of
questions about the test. Walk around the room and see how quickly you can write an
answer for each one.
2. We are doing a ratio matching task because it is one of the types of task in the test.
3. Listen to these people’s voices. Which ones do you think have passed the TKT: YL test?
How do you know?
4. Who can say some other cognitive strategies children use to learn English?
5. This is a syllabus for …….. without the headings for each part. Look at it quickly and
match the 4 headings on the board to the 4 different parts.
6. Can anyone write on the board some other communication strategies children use when
learning
Developing children’s cognitive and communication strategies through language
learning – Sample task

For questions 1 – 7, match the teachers’ instructions with the main cognitive strategies they are
helping to develop listed A – D.
Mark the correct letter (A – D) on your answer sheet.
You will need to use some of the options more than once.
Main cognitive strategies

A. Categorising
B. Predicting
C. Ranking
D. Inferring

Teachers’ instructions
1. Look at the monsters in these pictures. Which one’s naughty? How do you know?
2. Look at these letters and then try to find the animal word I’m thinking of. Are you
ready? First word: D – O…, Next word: S – N - …, next one: C – A …
3. Cut out the five pictures of food. Stick your favourite one here at the top and write the
name under it. Then put your next favourite one under it, and so on.
4. Listen to these people’s voices. Which person sounds happy?
5. On this paper you’ve got two circles. In this circle, draw two things you only wear in
winter and in the other, circle two things you only wear in summer.
6. On the board there are pictures of Sue, a shoe and a zoo. Listen to this word and tell me
which picture to write it under. Now listen to these words.
7. Here are pictures of 10 things to take on holiday. In pairs, choose the five most
important to you.
Children as language learners and Developing children’s learning strategies – Participant’s worksheet
1

Children’s characteristics as language learners

Look at these comments by teachers about young learners. Discuss the activities and characteristics, in
particular:

• Do you agree with the comments?

• Would consider using these activities in your classes?

1. “I always plan whole class 6. “Children learn language

activities as an integral part of the in context through their own
lesson as children respond positively understanding and experience so
and learn quickly while they are having I always try to activate this
fun.” knowledge when starting new

7. “Children are at different stages of emotional

and social development and so I plan lessons so they 4. It’s interesting how
feel relaxed and safe as soon as they come into the children are able to use whole
classroom.” language chunks such as ‘Have
a good weekend!’ without
knowing any grammar rules.”

5. “I always plan further

activities to challenge children
8. “As each child has their
own characteristics such as learning
who finish quickly and may be
style or previous learning
more advanced than others in
experience, I always review
their development.”
language in different ways
throughout the course to support
these differences.”
Children as language learners and Developing children’s learning strategies –
Participant’s worksheet 2

Playing TPR games: The class sit on chairs in a circle and the teacher gives commands such as
‘Change places if… you have got a brother/ are wearing a watch etc’.
One chair is removed after each change and the child who loses their chair gives the
commands.
Brainstorming activities: On introducing the topic ‘Pollution’ the teacher asks the class for
vocabulary which is linked to it and writes key words/sentences on the board.
Developing classroom routines: The teacher welcomes the class, organizes the room, and
takes the register. Ten minutes before finishing, the children finish their work, put away
materials and the teacher reviews learning.
Using classroom language posters: At the start of term children prepare posters for the
notice boards which review short phrases and sentences used in everyday classroom
language. Children use them throughout the course.
Planning follow-up activities: Children know what to do when they finish a task. This might
include doing a worksheet, playing a memory game to review language/ subject or helping a
friend to finish
Reviewing language: Children can practise language over several weeks through songs,
chants, games and reading stories.

Children as language learners and Developing children’s learning strategies –

Sample Task

For questions 1 – 6, match the teacher’s comments on her approach to learning with the young
learner needs and characteristics listed A – G.
Mark the correct letter (A – G) on your answer sheet.
There is one extra option which you do not need to use.
Young learner needs and characteristics

Young learners like to have:

A. routines in the classroom

B. personalised feedback on their language
C. opportunities to respond to and use language
 creatively
D. chance to have fun as a whole class
E. help with underlying language patterns
F. physical movement/ activity
G. enough time to complete their work